Guaiabero
Bolbopsittacus lunulatus
A common, lovebird-sized parrot of wooded areas in the lowlands and foothills. Overall green in color with a darker back, darker wings with blue edges and black tips, and paler green underparts and rump. Male has a blue face and collar. Female has reduced blue on the face with a scaled collar and rump. Similar in length to Philippine Hanging-Parrot, but Guaiabero is shorter-tailed and stockier, with a black rather than red bill. Voice consists of high-pitched ringing notes, often given in pairs.
Identification
Measuring around 15 cm (5.9 in) in length, it is a smallish, stout parrot with a large bill and stubby tail. The sexes differ in plumage. The adult male is green overall, with more yellowish underparts and a pale blue face and collar and wing primaries. The rump is yellow-green. The bill is grey-blue and with a darker tip, and the eyes dark brown. The adult female is also greenish, with a yellow collar and less blue on the face. It has black crescent markings on the nape and rump. Its bill is paler grey.
Taxonomy
The guaiabero was first described as Psittacus lunulatus by Tyrolean naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1786. The only member of its genus, it is distinctive. Four subspecies have been recognised. The nominate race lunulatus occurs on Luzon, birds on Leyte are darker with a more distinctive blue collar and some purple-tinge on the face and classified as subspecies intermedius, those on Mindanao and Panaon have greener cheeks and are classified as subspecies mindanensis, and finally those on Samar are similar to the Leyte subspecies, but with a more yellow tone overall and classified as callainipictus.
- Scientific name
- Bolbopsittacus lunulatus
- Authority
- (Scopoli, 1786)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Bolbopsittacus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
It inhabits lowland forests and adjacent cleared country. It is a predominantly fruit eating parrot, and has been recorded near fruit trees such as mangos. The breeding habits in the wild remained virtually unknown until a few years ago, but based on recent observations it appears to nest in a self-excavated cavity inside an arboreal ant nest or termitaria.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
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